"Tomorrow's outcomes that are different than today's perceptions lead to revisions in expectations that are the source of excess return…What is in an investors control is gaining a solid understanding of a company's prospects for creating value."

-Michael J. Mauboussin and Dan Callahan, One Job: Expectations and The Role of Intangible Investments  

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Over time, the nature of what is valuable has changed with the rise of technology. We've gone from the industrial age to the information age. The tangible has taken a backseat to the intangible, the ephemeral, and that which cannot be touched. The relatively high P/E ratios of technology companies imply that there's a high net present value of future growth opportunities that have yet to manifest themselves as significant revenue. Like clockwork, when technology was rising during the late 1990s, US companies' intangible investments overtook tangible investments. Ever since, intangibles have broken away and have become a crucial part of the strategy of technology titans. So, the mix of investments has changed over time, requiring investors to amend their analysis methods for assessing future earnings potential of projects.

Over time, the nature of what is valuable has changed with the r...

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